If you can afford it, go for it! The only downside I can think of is that your riding may suffer as you get more advanced and tackle more challenging terrain. For example, I hear people mentioning that when using flat pedals their feet get bounced off the pedals. Now, I am not saying this never happens to me, but as I used to race downhill on a hardtail you learn to be much smoother and avoid such circumstances, which when transferred to a nice full sus bike really lets you cover rough terrain quickly.
Gareth

ya, its a great bike. However, if you want to save a little money you can go with the comp or elite. I have a comp and ive been biking for a while and do so pretty nasty stuff and it holds up just fine. I found mine brand new for $1700.

I Love my SJ Expert! I started with an '06 XC because I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the trails. It only took about 5 months before I wanted to upgraded to the SJ. I couldn't be happier with my Expert.